Junior Canadian Rangers are separate

Re: North serves political goals, Aug. 19.

I am writing in response to the column by Madeline Ashby regarding the Junior Canadian Rangers program. Ashby properly lauds the many benefits of the program, citing the training and leadership skills it provides to youth in Canada’s remote and isolated communities. However, I would like to clarify two errors that were published in the article that would benefit your readers.

The first is the author’s confusion between the Canadian Rangers and the Junior Canadian Rangers. Canadian Rangers are adult members of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Force serving within one of five Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups across Canada that have an important role in the defence of remote northern and coastal areas of Canada. Junior Canadian Rangers are youth ages 12-18 who participate in a youth program delivered by the Department of National Defence that focuses on activities that help to preserve the culture, traditions and customs of the local community and foster good citizenship, community responsibility, personal health and welfare, and increased self-esteem.

The second and most significant error in the article concerns the “gifting” of the used Lee Enfield rifles to Junior Canadian Rangers. No weapons will be gifted to the Junior Canadian Rangers; however, it is correct that members of the Canadian Ranger Patrol Groups, who are adults and meet the requirements prescribed by law to hold weapons will be gifted their Lee Enfield rifles when the new C-19 Ranger Rifles are issued. The Canadian Army places the utmost importance on the safety of its members and their communities, including the proper handling and use of all of its issued equipment. The statement that we would gift rifles to Junior Canadian Rangers, who are youth, is completely false. Colonel Rob Foster, Director Army Reserve — Canadian Army